Urie Henry Zook
Military ROLL OF HONOURUrie H. Zook was born in Belleville, Pennsylvania, USA to an Amish family. Despite the Amish disposition on non-violence, Urie voluntarily enlisted for combat in the United States Army Air Force.
He became a ball turret gunner for a B-17 Flying Fortress and successfully completed his first tour of duty, despite statistics suggesting he would be lucky to complete a handful of missions.
He then re-enlisted for a second tour of duty before being shot down over Germany. Allegedly, Urie survived the crash of his B-17 only to be captured by the Nazis behind enemy lines. He died during a bombing by Allied forces while on a train with POWs, assumed to be heading toward a concentration camp.
Connections
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Units served with
- Unit Hierarchy: Group
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
- Unit Hierarchy: Squadron
- Air Force: Eighth Air Force
- Type Category: Bombardment
Aircraft
- Aircraft Type: B-17 Flying Fortress
- Nicknames: “Beatty's 8-Balls”
- Unit: 398th Bomb Group 600th Bomb Squadron
Events
Event | Location | Date | Description |
---|---|---|---|
Born |
Belleville, Pennsylvania, USA | 19 October 1922 | Urie H. Zook was born in Belleville, PA on October 19, 1922 to Amish parents. |
Died |
Germany | 10 March 1945 |
Revisions
Added Died event per Find-a-grave Memorial ID 51982018.
SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51982018/urie-henry-zook
Updated Died event and middle name per Find-a-grave Memorial ID 51982018.
SOURCE: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/51982018/urie-henry-zook
Please contact [email protected] for additional information, if needed.
I am Urie's grand-nephew, and I've been researching the genealogy of my family for several years. Urie is a proud figure in my family, along with General Samuel Zook who fought for the Union in the American Civil War. The story of how he died has been passed down from my grandparents to my parents and to me. Unfortunately, that means there are few (if any) sources that can corroborate the story online. You can contact the Mennonite History Museum of Belleville, PA for more information or verification, which is where his flight jacket is located on loan from my family, at 717-935-5574.
Please contact me at [email protected] if you have any additional questions or want more verification.
Thanks!
MACR 12650 / Paul Andrews, Project Bits and Pieces, 8th Air Force Roll of Honor database